Monthly Archives: May 2008

Even though I am not a native Texan, apparently I am raising little Texans. Two funny stories.Since Jon and I got married, we’ve had this running argument about how you pronounce ‘crayon’. Being normal, I pronounce it cray-on. Just like it’s spelled. Being from Texas, Jon pronounces it ‘crown’. I was preparing a lesson for church, and needed an crown for something. I asked my kids to get it for me. What did they come back with? Crayons.Tonight, it was bath time and I told Emily to start washing herself while I did something else. I came back to find that Emily had not started, so I grabbed the soap and started rubbing. Emily looked at me indignantly and said “Hey, I was fixen’ to do that.” I did a double take, and asked her where she learned to say ‘fixen’. (Because I promise it wasn’t from me.) She told me that a little boy in her class says it. I just thought it was hilarious!So, I guess Jon was right. When we got married, he said that because I was from Utah, and he was from Texas, our kids would be half Texan. And they (of course) would marry more Texans, so their kids would be 3/4 Texan. Then 7/8 Texan. And pretty soon, we’ll weed that Utah blood right out of there. Wow, why do I suddenly feel like I’m in the Texas version of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”? Pretty soon, I’m going to have to paint a giant Texas flag on my garage and put up statues of Sam Houston and Troy Aikman in my front yard. 🙂

Kelsey has been sick for the last couple of days. Nothing too serious, just running a fever and REALLY cranky. Last night, she decided that she didn’t really want to sleep. I think I got about 4 hours of sleep (not consecutively), and she only got 6 or 7. I had a pretty busy day today, and in the middle of the night, when I was exhausted, I had no idea how I was going to get through today. It looked like this:8:30 – 10:30 Work at the school10:45 Visit teaching appointment12:30 Visiting teaching appointment1:45 – 3:00 Pick up kids from school5:30 Adam baseball practice6:00 Robbie baseball practiceBut, then, all these little miracles happened.I called the school and told them I wouldn’t be there because I thought I would need to take Kelsey to the doctor. So, I didn’t have to do that.Then, I was talking to Randi and realized that CJ (my bro-in-law who happens to be in med school) was on his way home and could look at Kelsey to see if I needed to take her to the doctor. (And he was exhausted because he just worked an overnight rotation AND had class after that, but still took the time to help me!) And Kelsey looked fine, so I didn’t have to go to the doctor.When we got home, I put Kelsey down for a much needed nap, and she slept for 5 hours! So, I had to cancel my first visiting teaching appointment. And I even got a little nap!Randi came over to get Mary out of the house, so she stayed with Kelsey so I could go to my second visiting teaching appointment.My friend Maria had already called this morning and informed me (rather forcibly, I might add), that she was picking up the kids today. So I didn’t have to do that.And my last little miracle? It rained today, and both baseball practices were cancelled.So, thank you to all the people who made all these little miracles possible. My day that I was dreading actually turned out to be a good day. Aren’t little miracles the best?

I know that I should be trying to enjoy what is happening right now, but I am so excited for all the cool things coming up this summer. These are my countdowns:Days until Jeff & Deb & family are here: 7Days left of school (which means days left I have to plead with/threaten Emily to get out of bed, eat breakfast, get dressed, brush her teeth): 7Number of baseball games/practices left: 2 games/3 practicesDays until my brother, Brad, gets home from his mission in Detroit: 10Days until my sister, Jennie, gets married: 13Days until I get another new niece: 40Days until Robbie turns 8: 75Seriously, I just can’t wait! It’s almost time for the Gee Family Summer of Fun! Yea!

This past weekend we took a much needed break and headed to San Antonio. Jon’s parents, as well as Andy (Jon’s brother) and our two nephews (Braden & Carter) went with us. We had a great time! We went down Thursday night, just to get the full use of our time. Friday morning, after breakfast, (where they had waffles shaped like Texas!) we went downtown to Market Square. Or, as my family calls it, the Mercado. It’s the Mexican market they have with a bunch of different vendors. The kids had a blast walking around and looking at everything. Of course, it didn’t hurt that we actually let them buy stuff too! Thanks to Mama Gee for the kids souveniers! We ate lunch, and after a short rest (where no one actually rested) we headed to Sea World for a few hours. Saturday, we spent the entire day at Sea World. The kids, and I think the grown-ups too, had a fabulous time! On Sunday, we went to church, and packed up to come home. It was just a small break, but we had a great time. Thanks to Mama and Papa Gee, Andy, Braden and Carter for going with us! We love you guys!

Since my parents moved to Texas, they have had a porch swing. All of the kids love it. The kids call it the “Rockie Rockie”. It’s the means of getting them to leave Grandma’s house. It’s useful for calming a crying baby. It’s great to just sit and talk. When Jon and I bought our house 3 years ago, we purposefully had a porch added so that we too could have a “rockie rockie”. Last night our porch became the home to a brand new swing. Kelsey loves it, and doesn’t want to ever get off. We went outside to sit and rock while we waited for Emily to get home from school.While I was sitting there, relaxing, I took this cute video of Kelsey. She’s been talking up a storm, but we only understand about 5% of what she says. But I thought I would see if I could get some of her words on video. So, enjoy! (Oh, and I was rocking on the swing as I took this video, so hopefully none of you get motion sick!)[googlevideo:http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-4952634131311094862&hl=en]

Robbie lost his first tooth when he was 4 years old. Up to this point, he’s lost eight. Emily is almost 6 1/2, and up till Friday had yet to lose a tooth. She’s had a couple wiggly ones, but nothing had fallen out. But now? Behold, Emily, the toothless wonder!Yea Emmy! Can you tell how excited she was? I’m not sure if she likes the hole in her teeth, or the prospect of money! Exciting stuff!

Mine is growing great! Okay, the word “garden” may actually be misleading. Due to the lack of good soil in my yard and the lack of sunlight, we don’t really have anywhere to plant a garden. But, we found out a couple of ways we can still have a garden. One is square foot gardening, which I want to try next year. (I’m not quite sure, but I think it involves building a wooden box and filling it with dirt) But, some people in our ward also have gardens in the giant storage totes. So, we thought we would give it a try. Behold, the glory of the Gee garden:Okay, so it’s only three tupperware things. And we’re only growing tomatoes and watermelons. But I am so excited! I put seeds in the ground, and little green things actually popped up! These are my little watermelon plants!And, look! A tomato! (Okay, really bad picture, but it’s a TOMATO!)I cannot even begin to tell you how happy this makes me. I think I’m going to have to get some more totes and plant more stuff. Maybe I’ll be daring and plant snap peas, or carrots, or squash. Who know?!? I just know I’m excited! (And a little lame, but you all love me anyway!)